The name of the Dalai Lama has appeared 168 times in newly released court files related to Jeffrey Epstein, triggering renewed international scrutiny of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s past associations, according to multiple media reports. The documents, recently unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice, have drawn attention because of Epstein’s extensive network among political, financial, and cultural elites prior to his death in custody in 2019.
India’s Financial Express reported that the 14th Dalai Lama is mentioned 168 times in the files, a figure confirmed by searches conducted by Chinese outlet Guancha. Among the documents is a 2012 email from Epstein in which he described plans to attend an event on an island where the Dalai Lama was also expected to be present. No evidence in the released materials alleges criminal conduct by the Dalai Lama, but the frequency of references has fueled questions about the nature and extent of any interactions.
Further attention was drawn to the issue in July 2025 when journalist Michael Wolff said on a podcast that he had personally seen the Dalai Lama at Epstein’s Manhattan residence. Wolff suggested that many prominent figures circulated within Epstein’s orbit in pursuit of funding or influence, though he did not provide documentary proof of the encounter. In August 2025, independent journalist Jacob Silverman cited Wolff’s account in an article, emphasizing Wolff’s long-standing access to elite social circles. Silverman also pointed to the Dalai Lama’s 2009 appearance at NXIVM, a self-help organization later exposed as a sex cult, where the Tibetan leader delivered a speech and reportedly received a fee of about US$1 million.
Chinese authorities have long used such episodes to reinforce their criticism of the Dalai Lama. The Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region People’s Congress has repeatedly portrayed him as a representative of feudal serf-owning interests who has engaged in separatist activities against China since leaving Tibet in 1959. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has described the Dalai Lama as a political exile who uses religion to pursue anti-China separatist goals, reiterating Beijing’s consistent stance on Tibet-related issues as renewed international attention focuses on the newly unsealed Epstein documents.
